Grants
The Alastair Swayn Foundation continues Alastair’s legacy, supporting and nurturing the Australian architectural and design community through our grants program. Proposals must demonstrate a benefit to Australia’s architecture and design industries and a willingness to openly share the research findings with the Australian community. Head to Swayn Open Research for winning research projects.
The Alastair Swayn Foundation will open its 2025 grant round in early June. This year, one round of funding will be offered, with three distinct grant types available: Australian Design Grants, Design Audio Grants and International Research Grants.
Australian Design Grants $10,000
Australian Design Grants support innovative research addressing significant contemporary issues, challenges, and topical areas of focus in architecture and design within Australia.
Identified areas of priority research include:
- Workplace design
- Housing (public, private, multi-residential)
- Sustainability
Deliverables of the Australian Design Grant must include (but are not limited to) a research report in accordance with the ASF Open Access Policy and a public lecture hosted by the Foundation.
Design Audio Grants $8,000
Design Audio grants are awarded for the production of quality audio content only on architecture or design for the benefit of the Australian design community.
The audio content may be presented as a radio or podcast series, a mini-series or season/s, or a recorded open lecture/discourse series.
The content must be of quality production value, have a demonstrated educational benefit to the Australian architecture and design community, be publicly distributed or accessible in accordance with the ASF Open Access Policy and be published no later than twelve months after being awarded grant funding.
Applications can be made by emerging and established radio and podcast content creators or broadcasters.
International Research Grants $20,000
The International Research Grant supports innovative and academic research projects that align with the Foundation’s purposes and outcomes and facilitate a dialogue between international and Australian design practice.
There are no constraints to the subject of the proposed project, provided a benefit to Australia’s architecture and design industries is evident and a willingness to share the research findings with the Australian community is displayed.
Deliverables of the International Research Grant must include (but are not limited to) a research report in accordance with the ASF Open Access Policy and a public lecture hosted by the Foundation.
Foundation purpose
The Foundation encourages grant applications focused on architecture or design, which emphasise research, promote education, demonstrate vision and innovation, and which have potential for further development and long-term outcomes.
Founded by Alastair Swayn AO, the Foundation was established for the public charitable objective of advancing architectural culture and education, including by:
- Providing grants for research into Australian architecture and design including housing
- Promoting and supporting education in architecture, design and technology
- Funding visits by overseas scholars to further advance and promote architecture, design and technology
Grants will be awarded accordingly to research, education, exhibition, or development activities, which demonstrate one or more of the following outcomes:
- Innovative approaches that build knowledge in design
- Implementing design ideas into practice
- Future thinking for the design industry
- Maximising national and global outreach
Guiding principles
1 Excellence
The Foundation supports individuals, groups or organisations who are outstanding in their respective fields of architecture or in other design disciplines.
2 Innovation
The Foundation seeks to fund projects that take a new approach to problem-solving, especially those that can be evaluated and have potential for expansion and further development within architecture and design practice. Supporting research is fundamental to this approach.
3 Collaboration
Foundation grants have greater impact when combined with financial or in-kind support from academic institutions, government, professional industries or philanthropists. The Foundation can be one of a number of supporters or collaborators of a project, and encourages applicants to establish co-design relationships that facilitate sharing knowledge and resources to achieve a common goal.
4 Progress
The Foundation funds projects that will continue to add value well beyond the period of the grant. Long-term sustainability of the project is an important consideration for the Foundation. Proposed project subjects are limitless, provided a benefit to architecture or design is evident together with a willingness to share research findings with the Australian community.
5 Leadership
The Foundation aims to cultivate highly motivated and skilled leaders in Australian architecture and the design professions and industries, positioning Australia as a leader in global design practice.
Header Image Credit: Second Skin (Mike Louw, Sally Farrah, Iain Maxwell, Sam Tomkins)